Europe on trial + Religion | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/law/series/europe-on-trial+world/religion
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France's ban on the Islamic veil has little to do with female emancipationhttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/aug/26/france-ban-islamic-veil
A focus on women's rights is being used to justify intervention in religious and public life that would otherwise be unacceptable<p>If there were any doubt about the motivation for the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10611398" title="">ban on Islamic face coverings</a> passed by the French national assembly in July, the Sarkozy government's actions in August have laid them to rest.</p><p>The issue isn't women's emancipation, for all the pious rhetoric we've heard about equality being a &quot;primordial value&quot; of the French nation. It isn't the danger that terrorists and robbers will hide behind burqas in order to blow up buildings or rob banks – the exemptions in the law for motorcycle helmets, fencing and ski masks, and carnival costumes quickly dispel that argument. And it isn't about enforcing openness and transparency as an aspect of French culture.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/aug/26/france-ban-islamic-veil">Continue reading...</a>LawReligionIslamFranceFrench burqa and niqab banIslamic veilThu, 26 Aug 2010 13:51:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/aug/26/france-ban-islamic-veilFred De Noyelle/CorbisOutlawing the wearing of the veil in public is part of a campaign to protect 'true Frenchness' and capture the xenophobic vote. Photograph: Fred De Noyelle/CorbisFred De Noyelle/CorbisOutlawing the wearing of the veil in public is part of a campaign to purify and protect national identity. Photograph: Fred De Noyelle/CorbisJoan Wallach Scott2010-08-26T13:51:41ZEurope's union riven by government attacks on minoritieshttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/aug/23/european-union-minorities-law
Roma in Italy, burqas in France, minarets in Switzerland: the idea of European citizenship recedes with each affront to equality and solidarity<p>A wave of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/aug/18/persecution-roma-must-stop" title="">governmental hostility towards ethnic and religious minorities</a> risks undermining the common values of &quot;human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity&quot;, in the words of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, upon which the European Union is founded.</p><p>In Italy, from the prime minister down, politicians have disparaged the Roma, many of whom are Italian citizens, as well as other immigrants in a manner that has appeared to legitimise acts of discrimination and violence. According to press reports, Silvio Berlusconi has called illegal immigrants &quot;an army of evil&quot; and has expressly rejected the idea of a &quot;multi-ethnic Italy&quot;, saying, &quot;That's not our idea&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/aug/23/european-union-minorities-law">Continue reading...</a>LawEuropean UnionRace issuesReligionMon, 23 Aug 2010 08:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/aug/23/european-union-minorities-lawGonzalo Fuentes / Reuters/ReutersAny legal challenge to the face-covering ban, or burqa ban, in France will have to contend with case law that has allowed several states to outlaw religious headgear in schools and universities. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes / ReutersGonzalo Fuentes / Reuters/ReutersAny legal challenge to the face-covering ban, or burqa ban, in France will have to contend with case law that has allowed several states to outlaw religious headgear in schools and universities. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters/ReutersJames A Goldston2010-08-23T08:00:04Z